Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii made Hindus proud on Jan. 3 when she took the oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture.

As a member of the organization Hindus of Greater Houston, I had the privilege of personally congratulating Gabbard, who was one of the 47 first term Democrats sworn in on Jan. 3 in the Capitol.

The significance of the first Hindu in Congress is not to be seen as a mere sign of recognition and acceptance of Hindus in the American mainstream, but it provides a much needed identity for the future generation of Hindu-Americans.

"I chose to take the oath of office with my personal copy of the Bhagavad Gita because its teachings have inspired me to strive to be a servant-leader, dedicating my life in the service of others and to my country," Gabbard said after the swearing-in ceremony. "My Gita has been a tremendous source of inner peace and strength through many tough challenges in life, including being in the midst of death and turmoil while serving our country in the Middle East," she said.

"I was raised in a multiracial, multicultural, multifaith family. My mother is Hindu; my father is a Catholic lector in his church who also practices mantra meditation. I began to grapple with questions of spirituality as a teenager," Gabbard said.

You can replace the Bhagavad Gita with the Bible or any other religious scripture. The underlying message of servant-leader is universal and not confined to any one religion.

In October 2011, an American friend of mine told me that a young and dynamic woman was running for Congress. Her chances of winning were considered remote at that time. But I recalled a core message from the Bhagavad Gita that one should perform one's duty without expecting any results or fruits of the actions.

I have never before hosted a fund-raiser for a politician. I made an exception and invited Tulsi to my Sugar Land home. It was successful with the guidance of my mentor, Ramesh Bhutada.

Now, Hindu youth consider her as a role model. My youngest daughter, Namita, wrote on the occasion of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, that Tulsi has made her a very proud Hindu.

"Tulsi Gabbard serves as an inspiration to Hindu students across the nation. The historic election has hopefully opened the flood gates to having more members of the next generation with Hindu background find their voices in the American political system," said Sohini Sircar, general secretary of Hindu Students Council.

It may be pertinent to note that there are other Indian-Americans elected officials who gave up their Hindu faith and chose another religion. But Tulsi Gabbard did not give up her Hindu faith to win or after winning the election.

I believe Tulsi when she says her faith would be an asset in Congress, where she hopes to work on veterans' affairs, environmental issues and developing relations with India, the world's largest democracy and a growing economic and nuclear power.

Nowadays legislators in Washington cast their votes based on how it will help or hurt their political careers. Tulsi says she will follow the principle of selfless service indicated in the Bhagavad Gita. If members of both partiess start working on what is good for the nation instead of what is good for their party or for themselves, we can get a lot more work done in Washington.

Hinduism has contributed a lot to this great nation, including yoga, auyerveda, meditation and vegetarianism, and none of these requires one to give up one's own religious beliefs.

Now, U.S. politics may be ready to draw benefits from the universal Vedantic or Hindu philosophy, where the whole world is one family.